The "Mudroom Bench"

One of the first things I did was make a "Mini-Mudroom Bench". This provides storage and a place to sit while putting on/taking off shoes. I got the idea and tips for building it from a magazine. There are plenty of examples out there to look at for ideas. You can always adjust/modify to meet your needs.

The base for the cabinet (seen above) was built using pocket screws. I placed 2 levels on top, 90 degrees to each other and adjusted the feet until it was level. I then screwed the feet to the frame. The frame was then screwed to the 2x4s already attached to the brick. I built the base cabinet (seen below) using pocket hole screws. I put some 2x4s together to fill the space between the back of the cabinet and the wall. Stainless screws were used to attach the 2x4s to the studs in the wall and the cabinet to the 2x4s. The cabinet is about 1/4-1/2 inch higher than the brick landing on the left - did not want to have to deal with that uneven surface with the middle cabinet.

The middle cabinet was built to have a space for shoes/boots and a miscellaneous cubby on the left. The back side faces the work bench area and is a handy storage area. Right now it holds a lot of small power tools in their cases. I used poplar  as hardwood banding on the edges and rounded them over with the router. Gives it a little more of a finished look and takes away the sharp edges. The banding on the top side of the back extends above the surface - this helped when I put the top section on - got to back it right up to the lip and it kept me from pushing it to far back.

The top section provides storage with adjustable shelving on the left, a place to hang jackets on the right and more storage for shoes/boots. I have some shoe/boot trays from a gardening website that will fit in this space. As you can see, I had just enough sapce for ths to fit under the open garage door - something to think about in the planning stages of your projects.....and yes, I have hit a few thing opening the garge door.

It's in place - need the help of 2 friends to get it up there. Narrow clearance with the ceiling. It is pockets screwed to the middle cabinet section and I used stainless screws to screw it to the studs in the wall. That sucker is solid and not coming down. I'd rather over build than deal with the consequences of cutting corners.

I have adjustable shelving on lte left and the upper section on the right. The large space on the right is fro hanging coats and I have a boot tray that fits in the bottom. Can alos put umbrellas in there to dry and store.